Q: What is a free puppy report?
A: It is a report intended to give you a better understanding of the origin of your puppy.

Q: What kind of information do you need from me?
A:  We suggest you gather all the papers you received when you purchased your puppy.  Incomplete data will lead to a delay in receiving your report, as well as our ability to provide an accurate report.

Q: How long will it take to get my report?
A:  Normally reports are completed daily but depending on the volume of reports we receive, as well as our volunteer's availability, your report may take up to a week to complete (though very rare).  We ask that you allow a week before emailing us about the status of your report.  Please note that if you do not provide enough information, it will lead to a substantial delay in your report being completed. 

Q: Is the report completely free?
A: Absolutely free!  We always suggest that you order additional USDA inspections from the USDA, and they may charge a fee (though it has to be a very large volume request in order for fees to apply), but that request is made through USDA (if you choose to do so) and absolutely no fees are collected or charged by us.

Q: What about selling my personal information and protecting my privacy?
A: We NEVER share personal information with outside sources.  We NEVER spam our sell/share email addresses and to protect your privacy, we require only a few blocks of data be completed pertaining to your personal information.  A name (first name is fine) helps us when we need to contact you; your city/state are used in tracking data but is not specific to you.  As we step up our campaign of educating the public, the general location of those filling out reports helps us target areas of the country where we need to target our educational materials, such as brochures and media attention; your email address is a must -- without it, we can not send you your puppy report.  If you are concerned about spam, we suggest you set up a free account with yahoo, hotmail, gmail, etc. and then delete the account after you receive your report.  Note that we may later have additional information for you, such as a class action law suit that may lead to recovery of medical bills and such if you purchased a sick puppy, so using an email address that you can always be reached at is to your advantage.

Q: How/why do you do this?
A: The commercial dog industry is a multi-billion dollar business that involves the mass production of puppies, mostly in the Midwest.  Though we hope that your puppy is healthy and happy, it is the parents of your puppy that we are concerned with.  The "breeding stock" used to produce puppies for America's pet stores are treated like livestock--mostly living in inhumane conditions, even when coming from USDA licensed facilities. 

Q: What can I expect from my puppy report?
A: It's probably easier to tell you what not to expect.  We don't now the color or size of the parents of your puppy.  We don't know what diseases they may have or carry, and we don't know the temperament of the parents.  We can not help you obtain AKC papers, or any registration papers for that matter.  We can not help you in your dispute against a breeder, broker, or pet store.  Our reports contain the following information, if/when this information is available to us:

• USDA licensing information.  Name, business name, address.
• USDA inspections are annual (usually) inspections by the Dept. of Agriculture that check to see that the breeder or broker are in compliance with the minimum standards of the Animal Welfare Act.
• USDA inventories are the number of animals (puppies and adult dogs) present on the premises during an inspection.
• AKC revocations and suspensions.
• Media reports, such as any newspaper articles we might have on the breeder, broker or pet store.
• Dog auction reports
• Other customer reports are available when other puppies from the same breeder, broker, and/or pet store are sold to customers that fill out a puppy report.  We currently have approximately 6000 reports in our database and as that number grows, we hope to provide more detailed information about the origin of your puppy.  For example, if you bought a Golden Retriever that originated at a Missouri breeder's farm, we may have a report from another customer that shows medical problems that you might watch out for, such as hip dysplasia or epilepsy.  These reports will also show a history of selling puppies with parasites, kennel cough, puppies that are much too large for the breed standard, or don't look anything like a purebred.  Because of privacy issues, we do not disclose information regarding other pet shop customers.  Often times people want to contact other pet shop customers, but unfortunately, we are extremely overworked and underpaid (we are all volunteers) and we simply can not take the time to notify other customers. 

Q: What should I do after I receive my report?
A: We encourage you to do additional research on the breeder, broker and pet shop.  Below are tools that you can use to aid in that research.

Find a Business

Most states require that individuals or businesses that are self-employed, must hold a state license to do business in their state.  Laws vary by state, but the Secretary of State in each state is the office that regulates businesses.  Simply type "Secretary of State" and your state's name in your favorite search engine to find businesses in your state.  Example: "Secretary of State" Missouri.

Attorney Generals' Offices

The Attorney General of each state has many responsibilities, and one of these is to ensure that its state citizens are protected against deceptive business practices and businesses offering sub-standard products to consumers.  In many states, if enough complaints are lodge, the Attorney General will investigate a business, and take action against that business if the investigation warrants it.  PetShopPuppies encourages you to file a complaint with your state Attorney General's office if you feel that the pet store, broker, or breeder of your puppy was sold in violation of your state's laws. 

In addition to investigating business within a state, the Attorney General's Office can often prohibit out of state businesses from doing business in their state.  Your complaint may seem unimportant, but it is only when citizens stand up for themselves, that government agencies can work to protect them.

To find the Attorney General's website in your state, simply type "Attorney General" and your state's name in your favorite search engine.  Example: "Attorney General" Missouri.

Better Business Bureau

To search for reports on businesses at the Better Business Bureau, please use this link